Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Denver Public Schools

Changes

Colorado
5 hours ago

Far northeast Denver gets campus upgrades, but not the traditional high school some want

“You can’t just dangle low-hanging fruit and believe that’s enough,” one school board member said.

a different model

Colorado
June 15, 2018

Denver expands its experiment with more autonomous ‘innovation zones’

Innovation zones represent a different way of managing schools that is somewhere between the traditional approach and that of charter schools.

A new approach

Colorado
June 12, 2018

Denver’s school board is taking a break from its school closure policy

The pause would be in effect for the 2018-19 school year.

coaching the coaches

Colorado
June 11, 2018

Some of Denver’s top teachers will get training to better help their colleagues

Data shows teachers like the approach and their students benefit from it.

big league

Colorado
June 7, 2018

Denver’s DSST charter network is up for a $250,000 prize

Finalists were chosen based on factors such as test scores and progress toward closing achievement gaps.

'community dialogue'

Colorado
May 31, 2018

Far from reaching its ambitious goals, the Denver district plans to ask for community input

“What I am hoping for is to test the path we’re on," the school board president said.

back and forth

Colorado
May 30, 2018

Against a backdrop of protests, teacher contract negotiations in Denver get heated

Teachers argue that base salaries are too low and the bonuses make their paychecks unpredictable.

school segregation

Colorado
May 25, 2018

In Denver’s gentrifying neighborhoods, some middle-class parents are avoiding the school down the block

“Everybody wants schools to be more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. But the only control you have over that as a parent is to send your child there."

new schools

Colorado
May 24, 2018

Denver approves more schools that will wait ‘on the shelf’ to open, despite pushback

Some Denver board members say this approach assumes other schools will close, something they hope won't happen.

'indigenized' curriculum

Colorado
May 21, 2018

Denver doesn’t graduate half of its Native American students. This charter school wants to change that

The American Indian Academy of Denver would be unlike any other school in the city.

Police in schools

Colorado
May 18, 2018

The Denver school district is exploring the idea of creating its own police officers

This is not yet a formal proposal, but the idea is already generating pushback.

concurrent enrollment

Colorado
May 17, 2018

New state law forces Denver to change course on its ‘early colleges’

Lawmakers wanted to change the law because they feared the early college model would become too expensive.

still searching

Colorado
Updated May 22, 2018

Three candidates, no new leader: Principal search at Denver’s Manual High to continue

The search committee is recommending the district name an interim principal for the rest of 2018.

Up and up

Colorado
May 9, 2018

Number of Denver students earning a ‘seal of biliteracy’ continues to skyrocket

Students earned seals this year in 20 different languages.

discipline disparities

Colorado
May 9, 2018

Colorado schools gave out nearly 1,800 suspensions to young students with disabilities last year

A Chalkbeat analysis shows that in Colorado last year, special education students in kindergarten through second grade received a disproportionate number of suspensions.

money money money

Colorado
May 7, 2018

New tell-all budget document details how much the Denver school district spends on libraries, lawyers, and more

The goal, Superintendent Tom Boasberg said, is to be more upfront with taxpayers.

enrollment woes

Colorado
Updated May 22, 2018

Why these Denver charter schools are closing or delaying opening

Enrollment growth districtwide has slowed recently after years of rapid growth.

postsecondary

Colorado
May 3, 2018

The number of Denver high school graduates enrolling in college is rising

“Students’ passion, dedication, and tenacity is inspiring."

Statistics

Colorado
May 1, 2018

Colorado was never ranked 46th for teacher pay. Does this change the debate?

The ranking has become a key feature of the school funding debate, and it’s unlikely to disappear from the public narrative anytime soon.

How I Teach

Colorado
May 1, 2018

This award-winning Colorado educator teaches computer gaming (Shhh, it’s actually math)

A computer gaming teachers talks about what turned her into math-lover, why she builds forts with her students, and how off-task behavior is like a canary in a coal mine.

Leader search

Colorado
April 30, 2018

Three candidates are vying to become principal of Denver’s Manual High School

The three candidates include two who currently work for Denver Public Schools.

Follow Up

Colorado
April 27, 2018

Investigation finds former Manual High principal Nick Dawkins violated district harassment policy, document shows

District policy defines harassment as “unwelcome, hostile, and offensive verbal, written, or physical conduct."

Contract over

Colorado
Updated April 27, 2018

Antwan Wilson no longer working as a consultant for Denver Public Schools

"He has informed us that he has other contracts that require his full attention.”

Special education reorganization

Colorado
April 26, 2018

Only 33 black students with disabilities in Denver met expectations on state tests

Officials revealed those shockingly low numbers as further justification for a previously proposed reorganization of the special education department.

pick a school

Colorado
April 19, 2018

Denver touts record participation in school choice process

More than 27,000 families submitted school choices, up 17 percent from last year.

13 years of reform

Colorado
April 13, 2018

Bennet and Boasberg: Denver schools needed big changes, and the work isn’t nearly done

The two men responsible for guiding Denver schools through dramatic changes over the last 13 years shared the same stage Friday and said their decisions…

Why Wilson

Colorado
April 13, 2018

Boasberg explains his decision to bring back Antwan Wilson: ‘He has so much to contribute’

Denver Public Schools contacted Wilson to gauge his interest in working as a consultant on CareerConnect, a career and technical education program.

unexpected return

Colorado
April 12, 2018

Forced out as D.C. chancellor, Antwan Wilson is back working in the Denver school district as a consultant

Denver Public Schools has brought back the former school leader as a part-time consultant to help build a strategic plan for a career and technical education program.

Movers and shakers

Colorado
April 11, 2018

Denver superintendent honored for serving Hispanic students

His nomination notes that graduation rates for Hispanic students increased from 30 percent in 2007 to 64 percent in 2017.

Nation's Report Card

Colorado
April 10, 2018

Large achievement gaps in Denver highlighted by new national test data

This is the first year Denver’s scores have been broken out on the tests known as "the nation's report card."

reversing course

Colorado
Updated May 22, 2018

Denver has welcomed school autonomy, but some teachers are now saying no thanks

The votes against more autonomy come at a time when the Denver teachers union is gaining political power.

Data dive

Colorado
April 3, 2018

7 things to know about how Colorado schools punish their youngest students

As educators debate harsh school discipline nationwide, here's a look at which Colorado districts are suspending young children at the highest rates.

Priorities and pushback

Colorado
April 2, 2018

A heated debate over the desire for a traditional high school in far northeast Denver boils over

“Everything we do is threatened by the idea of opening a new high school in the far northeast."

Free Ride

Colorado
March 28, 2018

Colorado lawmakers see a budget threat in the promise of early colleges

State budget analysts have raised a warning flag about the cost of programs that provide free college classes if they continue to expand.

reorganization

Colorado
March 20, 2018

Denver parents worry budget changes will hurt students with special needs, despite district assurances

“The improvements that they’re proposing to make, they’re all great. But don’t do it on the backs of kids with special needs.”

biding time

Colorado
March 15, 2018

Strike vote by Denver teachers no longer imminent due to contract extension

District officials agreed to the union’s request to extend the current agreement until January 2019.

On the brink

Colorado
March 14, 2018

Denver teachers union leaders vote to call for a strike vote if pay negotiations fail

“Teachers don’t think the district is taking them seriously."

Repairing harm

Colorado
March 13, 2018

Inside one of three Denver schools serving as a national model for how to do discipline differently

Restorative justice is an approach to school discipline that focuses on repairing harm rather than doling out punishment.

final ruling

Colorado
Updated March 12, 2018

Colorado’s high court: There’s no such thing as teacher tenure

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled against Denver teachers in a dispute over the district putting them on unpaid leave.

Movers and shakers

Colorado
March 8, 2018

Former Colorado speaker Terrance Carroll to work for Denver Public Schools

Carroll will start on April 2 as the district’s chief legal and external affairs officer, a new position.

How I Lead

Colorado
March 7, 2018

A scooter, a reflection journal, and no surprises: One Denver principal’s approach to leadership

A Denver principal talks about his "no-surprises" approach to staff feedback and why his school emphasizes restorative justice practices.

Big Shoes

Colorado
March 5, 2018

Interim Manual High principal named as district begins search for permanent leader

School board member Jennifer Bacon called for “a true study” of what led to the previous principal's departure.

‘Why I Left’

Colorado
March 3, 2018

Former Manual principal resigned after learning of hostile work environment allegation

“The job of a principal in our current climate is not for the faint of heart."

Shake up

Colorado
March 2, 2018

Manual High principal resigns along with chair of booster group

The resignation of Nickolas Dawkins took many community members by surprise. He had said his vision was to "change the narrative" of the storied but struggling school.

intent to apply

Colorado
February 28, 2018

These new schools want to open in Denver

Denver's annual "Call for New Quality Schools" did not include any specific requests this year.

‘Learn together’

Colorado
February 27, 2018

Denver should seize on this moment to better integrate schools, report says

The report from A Plus Colorado offers several recommendations for how to do that.

ommmm

Colorado
February 26, 2018

Why this Denver elementary school has replaced detention with yoga

“I want to create a space where they can embody all these beautiful things of life."

Speaking Out

Colorado
February 23, 2018

Students at Denver’s George Washington High say their voices were unheard in principal selection

“Why should we even try to talk to the district if they’re not going to listen to what we’re going to say?”

More autonomy

Colorado
February 20, 2018

These Denver schools want to join the district’s ‘innovation zone’ or form new zones

Innovation zones are often described as a “third way” to govern public schools.

measuring up

Colorado
February 16, 2018

After criticism, Denver will change the way it rates elementary schools

The changes will lessen the impact of early literacy test scores on a school’s overall rating.
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